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Yes you heard it here first!
I will be moving to do the occasional Wednesday fab author interview as well. Ngaire Elder being my first on Wednesday 9th October!
Yes the fabulous author of Cecilia Spark will be here to give is the lowdown on her wonderful writing and her life as an author. Be excited!!!!

RWM – “Hi Amber it’s so lovely to meet you can you tell us what your current genre is and what made you chose this subject?”

ALE – “I currently write romantic suspense and contemporary romance. I chose romantic suspense because it combines two things I love—a juicy love story with an edge-of-your-seat-hold-your-breath mystery. Life can be complicated, often messy, so why not read a book that will entertain you and make you smile? I really enjoy the romance genre as a whole. It makes me happy, pure and simple.”

RWM – “There are a lot of romance readers out there who will agree whole heartedly with you.  What is your current book or work about?”

ALE – “My latest romantic suspense novel is called ‘Reckless Endangerment’. It’s about a Marine returning from Afghanistan, partially paralyzed, unsure how he fits into his ‘new normal’ as a civilian, and questioning if he wants to stay married to his feisty wife, Hope Shane. Hope’s not one to give up easily, though—not on her man and not on the human trafficking story she’s chasing as an investigative reporter. It’s an emotional story wrought with danger. The stakes are high, both emotionally in terms of fighting to keep a marriage together and physically as the human trafficking ring threatens their lives. If you like romantic suspense—stories with an edge—then check it out.”

Free Fall

RWM – “That sounds fantastic, very interesting story. Can you tell me who your favourite author is? Can you recommend one of their books?”

ALE – “Heather Graham’s ‘Drop Dead Gorgeous’ is really good, as are most of her novels. I’m currently reading ‘The Witness’ by Sandra Brown.”

RWM – “I’ve heard of Heather Graham, good to know she is a good author. How long have you been writing?”

ALE – “I started writing when I was 9 years old by scribbling in notebooks on my parents’ rooftop, staring at the horizon, and dreaming of the adventures I’d have as an adult. That love of storytelling evolved into a career in journalism and advertising. My first published novel came about in 2011 with the release of Kiss Me Slowly. Now I’m on a roll!”

RWM – “That’s amazing, what a smart lady. What is one of your pet hates?”

ALE – “Bad grammar. I don’t care if it’s a text or an email, I can’t stand it when people are lazy with language. I don’t expect people to be formal—that would be silly—but I do expect people to speak as if they have a brain in their skull.”

RWM – “LOL that’s great, UK live in a world of bad grammar, I think people’s writing style can be misunderstood sometimes, but that’s down to where and when they come from, or should that be when and where???? LOL  Tell me a quality you really like about yourself?”

ALE – “I’m independent. I’m okay alone, yet enjoy being around people, too. I’ve travelled the world solo and, because of my independence, have met fascinating people from many countries.”

RWM – “That’s brilliant, so you have had an interesting life for one so young then? I would love to travel Europe, but I’m not sure how I would feel about going too far from’ old blighty’. What do you hope to achieve in your life, from your writing?

ALE – “I simply want to connect with others via my work. If I can lift someone out of a dreary day with one of my romances, then I’ve succeeded. If I can let someone know they are not alone in grief—with my memoir about surviving the suicide of a loved one—then I have succeeded. That’s it. Connection.”

RWM – “Can you please tell me how people can get hold of your work?”

ALE – “What is your favourite work? What is its link so people can buy it? Tell me about it and why you believe people should buy it?
Well, I love all my books thus far—Kiss Me Slowly is about diamond smuggling, murder, and love on the run beneath Miami sun; Riptide is set on Grand Cayman and is about stalking, betrayal, and a sizzling love affair between two damaged people learning to trust again; Reckless Endangerment is an emotional roller coaster ride that deals with real world issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder and human trafficking.
Don’t buy my books unless you like romance as well as suspense. Did you hear me right? Yes. Both suspense and romance share the spotlight in my novels. The plots are full of twists and turns and the characters are raw with emotion. They’re sizzling, too, full of heat. If that sounds interesting to you, then please check me out at AmazonUK (http://amzn.to/189GVzQ), Amazon (http://amzn.to/XFtZNp), Barnes and Noble (http://bit.ly/ZyVDIq), and most online book retailers.
I’ve also written a memoir—released on September 1—about surviving the suicide of my husband. I’m receiving emails from as far away as South Africa from people who have been impacted by my story of hope. All of the messages from readers touch my heart and validate my decision to publish such a personal story. That is also available at all of the above retailers.”

RWM – “Do you believe that big publishers and their authors can charge too much for their eBooks?”

ALE – “If by big authors, you mean those from the Big Six publishing houses in New York, then they have no control what-so-ever about pricing. The house sets that bar. As for the price of eBooks in general, what people need to keep in mind is that it took hundreds of hours to write, more to edit, and that most of us are doing this as a living. Authors only receive a small percentage of that eBook price, which is usually less than it costs most people for a cup of tea, a glass of soda, or coffee.”

RWM – “Great point, I do think that indie’s get it rough but we get more for our work than the people who are hired by the bigger publishers. So lastly can you tell me a little about yourself, what made you become an author and do you have a job besides writing?”

ALE – “I’m also an editor. I’ve been writing or editing for nearly 20 years in one capacity or another. There was a time when my kids were young where I free lanced for ‘fun money’ and essentially devoted myself to being a stay at home mom. Now those kids are teenagers; which gives me the freedom to devote myself fully to writing again.

RWM – “That’s fabulous, so anyone looking for a skilled editor you now know that Amber is your lady. I am so please you took some time out for me today Amber and have to say your presence here has been both informative and interesting. May I now just wish you amazing success in your future and love in your life. You have really been a great person to finally meet!”

Jaredzane is a Voxian warrior with a difference, his Demon blood seems to be getting the better of him.
Jaredzane’s Psychic Demonic powers are immense, will Jaz be able to stay on the side of good, with new Demon influences, will he remain a Voxian warrior or will he turn to the dark side?

Orion is called upon to save his own people when a DNA virus hits Vox, his only problem seems to be, he is one of a small few. How can he rescue is family and loved ones, when the whole of the Voxian world has become feral and baying for any blood?

This book aimed at 17+, so not quite a Young Adult novel, but with all the bad language and violence through out this rough and ready story you wouldn’t really want younger readers read it!

After a few technical difficulties at last an interview with Sarah Mallery.

Unexpected gifts

RWM – “Welcome one and all to the fabulous author Sarah Mallery, I am so pleased you have taken some time to talk to me today. What is your current genre? What made you chose this subject?”

SM – “Actually, I would say my book encompasses two genres––historical fiction, and also a modern story. The chapters go back and forth between 20th century American history, and a late 1990’s heroine. In other words, it doesn’t strictly follow the formula for either one. As for why I chose this subject, it is because I love U.S. history, all facets of it, and I also like the idea of getting into the heads of our ancestors––what they were like, how they behaved.”

RWM – “I love historical fiction and 20th century America, your book already sounds like a best seller to me. Could you please tell me what your current book or work about?”

SM – “Unexpected Gifts is about a young college student, Sonia, who seems to be making some wrong choices in her life. Her mother leads her upstairs to a family trunk, well-stocked with their ancestors’ stories and mementos. As she begins to pour through her family’s diaries and journals involving America’s 20th century: the Vietnam War, Woodstock, and Timothy Leary era; Tupperware parties, McCarthyism, and Black Power; the Great Depression, dance marathons, and Eleanor Roosevelt; the immigrant experience and the Suffragists. The book alternates between Sonia’s life and her discovery of the past, and with each new ancestor revealed, she unconsciously learns something from them. Back and forth the book continues, dovetailing her family’s triumphs and failures with modern life until finally, she gains enough clarity to make the right choices.

RWM – “This sounds like a book I could pick up and read over, thanks I will be getting myself a copy ASAP! Who is your favorite author? Can you recommend one of their books?”

SM – “I have so many, but one of them would definitely be Harper Lee. Her only published book, To Kill a Mockingbird, had a profound effect on me, both in school and many years later, for her elegant simplicity, and her touching subject matter.”

RWM – “To Kill a Mocking Bird makes me cry a fabulous story that definitely makes you think. How long have you been writing?”

SM – “I started on the late side, after I had been a wife and mother for various years before I first attempted to write a short piece. That actually evolved into one of the short stories in my upcoming collection, Sewing Can Be Dangerous and Other Small Threads.”

RWM – “You can never be on the late side of life, it’s good that you took the plunge and went into writing, I have read a short story or two and must admit I love it sometimes just being able to sit and read a story in a night. Sarah, do you have any pet hates?”

SM – “I really despise people whose greed and self-involvement trumps everything. To be honest, I could say a lot more, but have decided not to be political in public!!”

RWM –“LOL I understand exactly what you are saying, I agree with you absolutely. Tell me a quality you really like about yourself?”

SM – “I guess (and have been told) that would be that I really care about people. In fact, so much so that recently, for my own piece of mind, I’ve had to back off somewhat from always ‘being there’ for every person in need. After all, there are only 24 hours in a day!!”

RWM – “There is nothing wrong with being a good person, but agreed sometimes others tend to take you from things you should be doing yourself  I must admit from what I know of you, you are a fab lady, let’s hope if you ever need help people will be as generous as you are. What do you hope to achieve in your life, from your writing?”

SM – “I hope that people will read my books, enjoy them for their characters, plots, and knowledge, and then spread the word…”

RWM – “ I am sure they will. Please can you tell us more information so we can buy your work, sell your book! What is your favorite work? What is its link so people can buy it? Tell me about it and why you believe people should buy it?

SM – “My current book, Unexpected Gifts is my ‘favorite’, although when the next one, Sewing Can Be Dangerous and Other Small Threads comes out, then I figure that will be my favorite!

I have gotten a lot of great feedback from people who have liked/loved how I let them in on U.S. history without them feeling as if it was a history lesson. They have also commented on how they will never think about their own ancestors in the same way, and now see how important they are in our general makeup.”

RWM – “Sarah thanks so much for this information. Do you believe that big authors can charge too much for their eBooks?”

SM –“Yes, I think sometimes that’s true. I have bought big authors’ books at heftier prices and regretted it. Then, I’ve turned around and read unknown authors for free and been blown away. It’s interesting… my publisher did warn me that if my eBook was too expensive, as an unknown author, I wouldn’t do as well as a big author would. Nature of the beast and all that.”

RWM – “Totally agree with you, I think unknown authors really get a bad deal. So will you please tell me a little about yourself, what made you become an author and do you have a job besides writing?”

SM – “I suppose I became an author (although I was at first very intimidated about doing so) due to my ancestral influences. Growing up, I was surrounded by writers. My father was a television writer during the Golden Age of Television as well as the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s; my grandfather, an historian, my great uncle, a poet. In addition, my mother, aunts, uncles, and cousins were authors and journalists. Although I resisted for many years, the Scribbler Pull was obviously too overpowering. When I finally tried writing my very first piece, it was like a drug, and I’ve never looked back!

My ‘other’ job is as an ESL instructor to adult immigrants. I love my students, and have found that the combination of tapping into my creativity coupled with sharing my knowledge with gracious, hard-working people trying to be a part of the United States is perfect for me. One job is creative and self-indulgent, the other outgoing and giving. Makes me a happy camper!”

RWM – “Thanks so much for joining me tonight Sarah, it really has been an absolute pleasure to meet you, may I wish you all the success you deserve in your career as a writer, you have been a fabulous guest.
Much love to you.”

RWM- “Hello to everyone on this wonderful Friday 13th! Today we have with us the lovely author Lucy Pireel.
Hi Lucy, hope you are feeling on top of the world today, so what is your current genre? What made you chose this subject?”

LP – “Horror/ suspense/thriller. Why? I like to be scared and dark stories seem to be easier to write.” 🙂

RWM – “That’s brilliant, so we can expect a lot of scary stories then? I like the scary stuff myself so what is your current book or work about?”

LP – “I’m working on a collection of short stories. All on the dark side of human nature. Or supernatural, a bad genie escaping from her bottle, a ghost haunting, a zombie craving his wife, a demon loosing his sanity, a pseudo scientist testing a theory, a woman gets her wish granted but does it work out the way she hoped? And someone closes a deal to win a race.
But I’m also in the process of finishing my novel. You’ll be surprised at the origins of vampire and werewolf when that will be published.” 🙂

RWM – “Wow that sounds like some fascinating research, who is your favourite author? Can you recommend one of their books?”

LP – “You know? That is a question I always struggle with. I like so many different authors and not one of them is my favourite. But for the sake of giving you an answer I’ll say. Milan Kundera, just because I love his Unbearable Lightness of Being and his quote, “There is no perfection, only life.”

RWM – you sound like a deep thinker, how long have you been writing?”

LP – “A very long time, but only thought about publishing when one of my sci-fi stories got accepted by Isotropic Fiction.”

RWM – “I am sure there are a lot of readers out there that are very pleased you did. What is one of your pet hates?”

LP – “Ha! I do not do hate. 🙂 What I do not like is people who assume without giving someone a chance to explain themselves.”

RWM – There are a lot of hot heads out there I am sure, some people dislike critisms, I take it with a pinch of salt usually unless there is something someone is trying to get from it. Like people who are trying to rate work with low star rated reviews because they write the same genre! It just looks bad on them don’t you think? Tell me a quality you really like about yourself?”

LP – “I am basically what you see is what you get. Which is also my weakness, because I tell it like it is, and not everyone can deal with honesty.”

RWM – “I am similar, but think there is a point where people cannot cope with such honesty, then I would consider if I should or should not say what I wanted to in the first place. LOL, but I guess that’s where my Psych degree kicks in.  What do you hope to achieve in your life, from your writing?”

LP- “In my life? To be happy and make others happy, even if that means you have to hurt them initially. You know what I mean? When you have to be open a wound to drain evil out, only to become healthy.”
From my writing? That people pick up my work and have a good time reading it. (Of course I secretly hope to one day be able to completely live off my writing.”

RWM – “ can you give me some information about how we can get your work? Sell your book!”

LP – “Erm, eh … *clears throat, fiddles with her pen, wiggles in her seat* Right … *clears throat again* You know I’m not really a person who feels comfortable telling people how great a book I have got. (books really) I feel very comfortable doing it for others, but that whole “Buy my book!” frenzy most authors seem to be caught up in isn’t my thing. I love it when others spread the word about my stuff, but plugging myself? I can tell the readers that they can be sure there are no spelling, grammar and other errors in my work, since I hire a professional, top of the range editor to make sure all I have missed is cleared up before publishing. And I have enough different beta-readers to test if what I write is actually worth reading. If only one tells me it’s not cutting it, it won’t be published. But then again, you can’t please everyone. Hence the one person who thought it necessary to post a 1 star review on my erotica novella, it balances the 5 star reviews out, and it shows the reviews are from real readers and not friends and family who support an author.

LP – “That links back to the plugging of my work. People should make that decision for themselves. Read the preview, or the blurb and if you like fairy tales that are not sugar sweet, you might just like Red Gone Bad.”

RWM – “Do you believe that big authors can charge too much for their eBooks?”

LP – “What is too much? I believe if a book brings great reading pleasure a higher price is worth it, but if a big name writes a crap book it is self-evident no reader will fork out another penny (or cent depending on where they are) for the next book by that author. So, yes even a big name can charge too much. But really most big names are traditionally published and have little to nothing to say about the price of their books. It’s the publisher who sets the price and they need to earn big time, so they charge big bucks for books.”

RWM – “Tell me a little about yourself, what made you become an author and do you have a job besides writing?”
LP – “I’ve been making up stories ever since I started to talk. 🙂 But seriously? When my son got bored with kid pirate stories and he wanted real pirate stories where things happened I began to write those for him. But they grew more adult with every new installment. Then I took on fairy tales, but those weren’t really for the very young either and I decided to self-publish them. (Self because when my zombie and sci-fi shorts were traditionally published and I got a very small amount of royalties I thought I could better do it myself and keep all the gains.)
Besides being an author I’m also a yoga instructor. (I’ll be teaching classes in France next year and look forward to being in the Dordogne at the beautiful Manoir de Gurson).”

RWM – “Lucy it’s been an absolute pleasure to meet you, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me today.
I wish you success and love and luck with your work.”

RWM – “Hello and Welcome to a Special interview with Author and Artist Shannon McRoberts.
As a really big fan of Shannon’s work I’d like to start by showing off some of her art work!

The artwork is digital and this is one of Shannon’s more recent pieces.
So Shannon can you talk a little about your books and tell me please what is your current genre? What made you chose this subject?”

SM – “I currently classify myself as “fantasy”, but I guess you could say speculative fiction would also fit. I chose this subject because I have always been drawn to fantasy. When I first started writing, I just wrote the story I wanted to tell and it turned out to be six books and counting long! It was only recently that I started having to “classify” my genre. I had trying to fit into a “genre”.”
RWM – “Yes sometimes it is difficult to put a label on what you write, I understand this very well. What is your current book or work about?”

SM – “My most recently published book is Verses of Athine: The Daughter of Ares Chronicles. My work in progress is Cursed Bloods, which is book 5 in the Daughter of Ares Chronicles. I also have an idea for book 6 and then a book that may be unrelated….I’m still churning that one out.”

RWM – “Wow you work really hard, who is your favourite author? Can you recommend one of their books?”

SM – “The author that got me reading on my own was Anne Rice. I would recommend The Vampire Chronicles. Interview with the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, Queen of the Damned, Tale of the Body Thief, Armand, etc.”
RWM – “Yes I own a lot of Anne Rice myself, but I will have to admit after Interview with a Vampire I kinda got side tracked. How long have you been writing?”
SM – “I have been making stories, pictures, and books for “sale” since I was about 4 years old. I was required to write many things in school and college. At my day job I still have to do a lot of technical and medical writing. So, for the better part of 30 years ;-)”

RWM – “Wow what an achievement, that’s wonderful. Writing since you were four what an intelligent little child. Can I ask you what is one of your pet hates?”

SM – “I have so many of them. Probably one I really don’t like is the word “your” being misspelled. Your welcome is NOT correct! It is you’re welcome…it’s a contraction LOL.”
RWM – “Ha-ha! That’s fabulous. I hope I never get it wrong. I am sure my editors will tell you that I do  Tell me a quality you really like about yourself?”

SM – “My artistic abilities….how else could I get away with being Artist, Author, Poet ”
I don’t think getting away with it is correct, you have a real talent much appreciated by many!”

My favourite piece

RWM – “What do you hope to achieve in your life, from your writing?”

SM – “I am not sure. I just want to make a quality story that people will love. I have gotten 12 great reviews on Verses of Athine. The ride has been somewhat bumpy in the last year working towards the goal of the paper book, but after many edits and cover changes and dodging a few sock puppets I think it has turned out well.”

RWM – “Please will you take a little time to tell me about your book and where we can get it from?”

SM – “Verses of Athine: The Daughter of Ares Chronicles

Take what you know about mythology and throw it out the window….

Follow Athine as she tries to discover her destiny. Is it really her destiny or of someone else’s making?

(Better yet watch the book trailer!)

The book is an epic read at just under 97k words and it is the only way you can get books 2-4 in the Daughter of Ares Chronicles.

The easiest way to get my book is to go to http://www.shannonmcroberts.com and click on “author”. From there you can find the universal Amazon link and the Smashwords link.”

RWM – “Do you believe that big authors can charge too much for their eBooks?”
SM – “YES! I shouldn’t have to pay you 10 bucks for an eBook. I don’t care WHO you are. I don’t even want to pay 10 bucks for a digital music CD. However, you have to keep in mind the authors do not always set their prices. It is the publisher that sets most of them. The author sometimes gets next to no money. That is why I firmly believe in Indie Publishing!”

RWM – “Tell me a little about yourself, what made you become an author and do you have a job besides writing.”
SM – “I am married with a soon to be 5 year old daughter. I have always been attracted to fantasy and stories that focused on women leads. Red Sonja was my first “movie love”. I also loved She-Ra and Jem and the Holograms. I refused to watch Star Wars until my mother explained there was a princess in the movie with a gun. LOL. Later in life it was La Femme Nikita, Xena, and Lady Death, and Buffy. I am looking forward to more Game of Thrones, Elementary, Grimm, Vampire Diaries, The Originals, and about 20 other shows this season! I also belong to #teamvampire and have always been interested in Greek mythology.

When I met my husband, who was working at a comic shop I frequented, he introduced me to MMORPGs and D&D. It was later on that I got heavy into the RPG part of Guild Wars. I guess all this stuff percolated around in my head and I wrote a few “background” stories for my characters. My guild flipped over them. I thought then maybe I CAN write a book and dusted off the notes I had for The Secret of Genetic Corp X, which I had been secretly writing from time to time. Once I had it written I had the “author bug”. I am now up to my third poetry book and sixth prose book….the ideas keep coming!

Unfortunately, I do still have a day job. My husband is a stay at home dad while I go to my desk job every day and wish that I could be writing or making art instead of clicking away at boring government paperwork!

That’s all so fabulous Shannon thank you so much for your interview and showing us all your work as a last treat here is my favourite a piece of art Shannon did for my book cover Sky. It’s my logo and I use it on all my business cards, she was named by Shannon ‘Lady with Dragon.’

RWM – “Thanks so much for your hard work on my book covers and for your fabulous friendship, you truly are a Friday Fab Author! ♥”